


Healing

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Avengers, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Thor (Marvel), Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Mentions of Asgard, Post-Avengers (2012), Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Sickfic, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, everyone needs a hug tbh, mentions of Thanos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23214148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: Thor is sick, and Loki leaves his solitude to care for his brother. The Avengers watch in shock at the caring version of Loki
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 471





	Healing

Loki was quite happy in his captivity. Midgard was a fascinating place, and although he had snuck to the realm many times in the thousand years he had lived, learning bits and pieces along the way, he had never had this much time on his hands. It suited him better than captivity on Asgard, he wouldn’t have been able to bear the fact that they all knew he had been found by the Mad Titan, that he had been tortured into the events on Midgard.

He hated appearing weak. He didn’t want their sympathy, their half-hearted apologies. In return for staying in the Compound that the Avengers lived in, he gave them the information they needed to protect themselves from Thanos. Sent a team named the Guardians of the Galaxy to hunt down the Stones. Loki, therefore, could relax in his solitude, enjoying all that Midgard had to offer.

Very few people would dare disturb him. Meals were brought for him and left, though he rarely ate. Technically, he could go anywhere he liked in the Compound, but he usually stuck to his Quarters. So many books to read, things to learn, information that he could soak up and store. It reminded him of his younger years, when Thor had been learning how to be King, and Loki had been accepting the fact that he could never compete.

Thor. The mention of his oafish brother was enough to have a mixture of feeling swirling in his gut, mostly squashed down. Thor had given up trying to coax him from his rooms around two moths ago, and he had not seen him since. For Gods that lived for thousands of years, that wasn’t that uncommon. And if Loki felt a slight ache in his chest, he ignored it firmly.

That was why, the moment that the Man of Iron dared to enter his Quarters, he knew that something was wrong. As usual, the genius was wearing a fake smile, a cheer around him that Loki could see straight through. Something was wrong, and Loki’s heartrate picked up, but he hid it well by flicking the page on his book.

‘How have you been, Reindeer Games?’ The nickname no longer held the teasing tone that it used to, and Loki replaced the bookmark to look up at the billionaire. Even if he did not particularly like the man, he could appreciate the strength that the human had. A fellow tortured soul, who had been the one to campaign for Loki staying here. Once they’d found out the threat that Thanos posed, nobody argued against him moving in.

‘What is it, Stark?’ He didn’t need to be snappy, but his defences had risen the moment the man had entered. Despite the bands around his wrists that were supposed to stop his Seidr, he could quite easily break free of them if needed. Times like this, when he didn’t know what was about to happen, he longed for the familiar warmth of his Magic.

‘It’s… It’s Thor. He’s sick, and we can’t get hold of Heimdall.’ Loki felt every muscle in him tense, fought to keep the man from noticing. He acted careless, kept emotion from his face as he placed the book on the side. Thor was a God, he would be fine.

‘Sick? He’s a God.’ Loki huffed, amusement lacing his tone despite the fact that he was worried. If Stark was here, it had to be worse than they thought they could handle. Not even the Doctor, the one that tried to ask if Loki needed medical assistance after the Battle of New York, could help his brother.

‘It’s a virus. One that’s spreading through Earth, sorry, Midgard. It doesn’t affect us that much, we can treat it, but Thor… he isn’t responding to treatment.’ A virus, Loki knew a lot about them. Upon his previous visits to Midgard, he had enjoyed learning a lot about their forms of healthcare and the diseases they had. It had been important, to see if he could get sick like they could. He’d spent years testing things, absorbing the knowledge of how their immune systems worked. Different from his, certainly different from Thor’s. And if Heimdall wasn’t answering, it was because it would risk Asgard to bring him back. Odin had to be pacing in the Throne room, Frigga desperately trying to convince him to send people to Midgard.

Treatment. They’d tried to heal him, and it had failed. Loki held his tongue, the ache in his chest growing at the thought of his brother in pain.

‘I suppose I could take a look.’ He didn’t mean to sound so hurried, he wanted the words to come out relaxed, but they did not. Tony led him, despite Loki knowing how to move around the Compound. The corridors may seem endless, but he had grown up in a Palace, and so had a memory that could easily beat the extravagance of the place.

Outside the room, most of the Avengers had gathered. All of the original ones, bar Hawkeye, who had returned to his family. Some of the new ones, including the young Spiderling. The Doctor actually seemed pleased to see him, a smile gracing his face, one which Loki did not return.

‘Loki… we’ve tried to boost his immune system, antibiotics that should have eased his fever. But the virus, we haven’t got a vaccine, sorry do you need me to explain this in simpler terms?’ The Doctor looked fearful as he asked, like insulting Loki’s mind might provoke a fight, but the God understood why. The Doctor was used to having to explain himself, for the humans around him did not understand the terminology.

‘Have you tried cellular regeneration? How does the virus respond to heat? Incubation time?’ Loki walked to the glass, for the first time looking into the lab. His brother, the one that had not come in two months, lying on the table. Pale, too pale for Loki’s liking, with wires hooking him up to different machines.

‘Incubation time can be up to two weeks in us, but we’re unsure about Thor. It doesn’t like high temperatures, nor those that drop dangerously low. And yes, but the cellular regeneration only aided the Virus.’ If the Doctor wondered why Loki knew such terms, he did not ask. Instead, allowed Loki to focus on the new information, before the God made his decision.

‘Very well. Thank you.’ He added on, before moving towards the door.

‘Wait! If Thor caught it, then…’ Then Loki could to, and might react badly. Honestly, it had crossed Loki’s mind, but the God was too focused on the pale image of his brother, the deathly appearance.

‘Thor’s ill. If Heimdall hasn’t allowed him assistance, it’s because this virus could harm Asgard, it’s fatal.’ He didn’t add that he couldn’t let his brother suffer, just opened the door and stepped in.

First exposure, presuming that Tony did not have the virus. Intriguing, Loki let his senses heighten to observe the room. Slowly, approaching his unconscious brother, he looked him over. A weaker heartrate, the pulse barely fluttering where Loki pressed his fingers against the column of his neck. Breathing laboured, body flushed with fever, sweat that glistened and indicated his illness.

He'd need his Magic, if he was to help. Knowing that the Avengers would be watching his every move, before deciding he didn’t care, Loki snapped the bands from his wrists, let them drop to the floor. Knowing that they would either come rushing in to stop him, or let him be, he started his diagnosis. Hands placed strategically, one over Thor’s heart and the other on his forehead, he focused all of his Seidr onto identifying the main issues.

**

Loki watched the blood trickle, eyed it up as he extracted the needle from his brother’s arm. Thor didn’t react, nor did his blood pressure, which wasn’t reassuring. The Doctor had entered the room as soon as Loki had stopped with his Magic, didn’t ask what he was doing, merely observed.

Learning where everything in the lab was positioned took time. His pride stopped him from asking the Doctor, and he instead worked by himself. Test tubes, blood onto a microscope slide so he could observe, different chemicals that he had seen work throughout generations.

‘How did you learn?’ Banner’s first question in just over three hours, focused on where Loki was currently handling a mix of chemicals that would kill a human if he dared try to work it on their immune system, but might be enough to keep Thor from deteriorating. The issue was on a cellular level, he had to help the immune system fight of the targeted cells.

‘I had time.’ Loki’s answer was brief, partly because he didn’t feel the need to tell his life story, and partly because he was concentrating. Finally, accepting that he might need some assistance, he looked back to the Doctor.

‘Would it be possible to get some items? It might help.’ The Doctor’s face showed shock, just briefly, before he came across with an electronic tablet. Loki thanked him, didn’t stop the man from peering into the microscope.

‘Will it help?’ He sounded unsure, possibly because of the strength.

‘Perhaps. I need to test further things, before knowing.’ He wouldn’t risk letting his brother get hurt, not from his own hand.

**

They were waiting on the items, and Loki was alone with his brother once more. He took the cool rag, gently moved it to Thor’s forehead, trying to combat the fever. For an Asgardian, a temperature was very dangerous. It would usually be healed by the Soul Forge, almost immediately, but Thor did not have the luxury. Loki had considered trying to build one himself, but he would need assistance to do so.

A sight caught Loki’s attention, the mess of Thor’s hair, tangled and strewn across the table. Usually, his brother wore a single braid, symbolic of the bond they had shared. Back in Asgard, before all this had happened, it had been Loki’s job to braid Thor’s hair before battle, or important meetings. His brother would arrive at dawn, would smile widely and ask for the braid that Loki had learnt from their Mother.

Since he had been on Midgard, he had seen Thor’s braid, messy and slightly wonky. It had always made his gut swirl, knowing his brother had done it himself, rather than coming to Loki. He had lost that privilege, the moment he had let go from the Bifrost. Now, seeing the braid gone made Loki’s heart clench.

He turned before the emotion could get too much, found his hands shaking slightly. He let them rest on his legs, clutched until the shake vanished, then took a deep breath. This was no time for emotion, not with Thor’s life at risk.

**

Banner had returned, not only with the items Loki had requested, but with the Man of Iron as well. The two of them spoke in hushed tones, words that Loki did not bother listening to as he worked. Different herbs, medicinal in purposed, aided slightly by drops of Magic that he infused into his work. But, without the Asgardian technology, how would he be able to follow the progress that Thor’s immune system made? He ground the mixture harder, cursing himself for letting it get this far. If he had caught the illness in the early stages, then Thor might not have suffered as much.

How long had his brother been ill? How long had Loki presumed that his brother had given up, when he was merely sick?

The cracking sound broke the whispers, silence stretching out as Loki stared at the bowl he had broken from his own anger. He sighed, forced his Magic to repair the issue, tried to keep his emotions in check. After all these years, he should have known that he needed to take better care when letting his emotions drive his Seidr. He could do this, it wasn’t that hard.

‘Stark, I require your… expertise.’ He swallowed down his pride, turned to the two men.

‘There’s an item on Asgard that can directly affect the health of the Aesir, we know it as a Soul Forge, but I believe it works on the basics of a quantum field generator.’ The Man of Iron was instantly buzzing, Loki could see the ideas bounce around the room, listened to the quick words and ideas that he started spewing.

‘I can provide the energy to fuel it, should you be able to donate a form of you Arc reactor.’ Both men looked surprised, whereas Loki was still reeling from the fact that he had allowed himself to ask for the assistance.

**

His temperature was still rising. It was dangerously high, and Loki knew it was close to being fatal.

‘We’ll have to put him in an ice-bath. Or into Cryo, like Tin-Man.’ Stark’s suggestion was correct, they would have to do such a thing to prevent long-term damage. Loki gazed down to his brother, who had not yet stirred, and bit his lip in thought.

‘If you can continue the Quantum Field Generator with the Doctor, then I can keep his temperature down. I might need assistance, though.’ Because once he started this, he would not be able to let go. Stark looked curious, Banner worried, before the Man of Iron nodded.

‘I can have Romanoff come and assist.’ The Widow, a woman who was smarter than he gave credit for. He was pleased that she had caught his slip, that’s he had cracked the plan. It might just have saved Midgard.

‘Advise her to wear something warm, I cannot keep her comfortable if I am monitoring Thor.’ He didn’t know why he cared about how the Midgardian felt, could see the same thought-process running through the minds’ of the men opposite.

**

Natasha Romanoff leant against the wall, wearing warm clothes like he had advised. Loki ignored her, began to manoeuvre Thor so the bed was lowered. He then stripped off his own shirt, climbed up onto the bed and behind Thor’s heavy weight. They had done this when they were children, Thor would sit between Loki’s legs as he worked on his hair, telling tales that Loki would pretend weren’t interesting.

With Thor’s back against his chest, Loki forced his body to change. His skin turned cobalt-blue, eyes the darkest of reds, and Loki cursed as the pain dug deep. Every nerve, of fire at the heat of Thor’s body, tiny pin-pricks that raced across his body. His now-pointed teeth dug into the flesh of his lip, blood breaking as Loki tried to handle the main. Eyes screwed shut, moving Thor until the God’s head was tucked under Loki’s chin, where he could keep an eye on his pulse.

‘Don’t let his heart-rate drop, and keep the IV line full. If his vitals drop, fetch the Doctor. I wouldn’t suggest touching me, if you need my attention use something to prod.’ And with that, Loki forced his mind to still, to focus all its energy onto his brother.

**

In all the time she had known the God of Mischief, she had never seen him in such pain. Not even when Thanos was torturing him. It was the only reason she trusted him, knew that he had to be in pain. Thor’s vitals were improving, the cold that radiated from Loki’s body chilling the fever. She had to admit, she had not been expecting to see such emotion from the younger God, nor the way that he occasionally moved in his slumber, curling closer to Thor.

The others may have originally thought him a lost cause, but she knew they were starting to reconsider. Every move Loki made, every time he looked to his brother, it was clear that he was hurting. When Tony came walking back in, he recoiled in shock, looking to Natasha for an explanation. She merely shrugged, looked to the device Loki had suggested them building.

‘Is it done?’ She inquired, noted how Loki didn’t move at the words. He must be deep in whatever focus he had found, to stop the pain that came from trying to keep his brother cool.

‘Er…’ Tony was still staring, until she cleared her throat, ‘Yes, it’s done. Whatever Loki needs…’ Natasha left her position, moved across and picked up a pair of scissors. They were the closest thing, and she deemed Loki’s warning as genuine. Why he cared for her health, she had not yet figured out, but she wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the warning.

The others would be on the other side of the glass, they came and went, watching the progress. No doubt they were all there, with news of Loki’s new skin colour, confused and intrigued by the change. She reached forwards, poked the scissors against the cobalt-coloured skin on Loki’s arm.

His eyes flicked open sharply, red eyes coming to focus on her. She regarded him just as coldly as he did, eyeing up the carvings on his face, the teeth that she could have sworn were pointed, the slight bumps on his head that she presumed were horns. This was what Thor had meant, when he called Loki adopted, a Jotun. She had already figured out that in Asgardian culture, whatever Loki was, a Jotun, was not highly thought of. That was clear, in the fact he never wore this skin, in the disgust that he kept buried when he saw his own reflection.

‘Thank you, Lady Widow.’ He moved, shifted out from under Thor’s weight, and she caught sight of the skin where they had been touching. It looked darker, almost like it had been burnt, whereas Thor’s skin was mark-free. He caught her staring, and she looked away out of respect, keeping up his façade as an uncaring man.

**

‘You slipped up on purpose.’ Loki halted, then continued to slowly inject the liquid into the IV drip. The Soul Forge buzzed around Thor, telling Loki all he needed to know about the state of his immune system, keeping him informed of any change. Natasha was the only one in the room, still wrapped in a coat, considering Loki hadn't switched his form yet. Thor’s body preferred this one better, it kept him cool.

‘I have no idea what you mean.’ He lied, his Silvertongue turned to lead in front of the Widow’s analysis, not looking at her as he stared down at his brother.

‘On the Helicarrier. In Germany. In the final battle. For somebody so smart, you had too many mistakes in your plan. You wanted to be caught. You wanted us to know your plan.’ A secret he had not told them, that he had tried to break free from the Mind-control. The unbearable knowledge that he hadn't snapped from it, not until the Hulk had smashed him into the floor.

‘Quite the theory.’ Loki smoothly stated, let his fingertips move to Thor’s neck, needing the reassurance of the pulsing beat.

‘You were fighting the Mind Control, didn’t break free fully until the end. Recognitive calibration, like what happened to Clint.’ She wasn’t asking, she was telling. Loki slowly turned, held her gaze for longer than he would have liked. She could see through him, he decided. There was no point lying.

‘He should start to recover soon. Thank you for your assistance, Lady Widow.’ The woman paused, before leaving the room. Loki stared at the shut door, then down to Thor.

‘You have quite the bunch of companions, brother.’

**

Loki woke, instinct telling him that he wasn’t alone. His eyes looked across to the door, to where Banner was standing, a tray of food in hand. Loki uncurled slowly, having been sleeping beside Thor’s body to keep him cool, grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head before walking across.

‘Thank you, Doctor Banner.’ Loki meant the words, accepting the tray. Banner smiled, left the room and let the door click shut.

He took up his normal position, by Thor’s side, and snacked on the food they had brought him. Every so often he would stop to check Thor’s pulse, but his brother showed no signs of discomfort, so he finished the meal relatively quickly. Then, he placed the tray down and took the shirt back off, settled back behind Thor.

His fingers wandered to the mess of hair, and he hummed slightly as he let his Seidr move forwards, to clean the greasy hair and restore it to the bright golden strands Loki remembered. Then, just because he was bored, he began to braid.

After all, he had to do something, he reasoned.

**

Natasha opened the door, paused to take in the sight. She couldn’t help it, a slight smile crossed her face, seeing Loki curled up around Thor, like he was attempting to protect him. The Jotun was asleep, one hand linked with Thor’s, the other holding him like he could monitor his health in such a way. She didn’t doubt it, had seen what his Magic could do.

By the side of the bed, a book rested. When Tony had checked on the two of them late last night, he had said that Loki had been reading to Thor. So, deep down, the God of Mischief did care for his brother, evident in the happy smile on his face and the way he was wrapped around Thor.

The God of Thunder was beginning to look better, colour returning to his skin. She placed the tray down, forgot about Loki’s warning as she reached out for his skin.

It burnt. Her hand snatched back fast, shame as she let free a yelp of pain in shock. Loki’s eyes flew open, and he moved so quickly that Natasha had no time to run, not that she needed to worry. When Loki’s blue hands gripped her this time, it did not burn. A hand closed over hers, and a warmth that felt like sunlight spread.

When she looked back to her skin, it was healed. Loki had already stepped back, was looking anywhere but at her.

‘My apologies, Lady Widow, you startled me.’ He was making it not burn, she realised. It took concentration to keep control of the cold, yet with Thor, he was putting in that effort. Natasha could not find any words, just slowly gestured to the tray, then left the room.

**

When Thor woke, it was to the sight of the Man of Iron and Banner, both of them very pleased that he was awake. The God of Thunder listened to their explanations, slightly confused with the terminology about the virus, hungrily eating the food they had provided. In truth, he was unsure about what had happened, just recalled feeling unwell.

For some reason, he could remember a voice, one he remembered well, talking to him throughout his illness.

‘We created a Soul Forge and…’

‘What?’ Thor cut them off, knew they would not have had such an idea by themselves. Sure enough, the Midgardians looked between each other, like they were hiding something.

‘Loki suggested it.’ Thor felt a warmth in his chest, fought the smile that threatened to cross his lips.

‘I can’t do it.’ Tony said, and Banner looked alarmed.

‘He told us not to tell you, but…’

Thor listened, to every tale they had to tell. From Loki’s attentiveness, to his Jotun-skin, to the way he healed Natasha. To the stories he told, the affection that none of the team had expected.

When Thor was released to the shower, he stood in front of the mirror. Froze, as he spotted sight of his hair. With a growing smile, he reached up to touch the braid, the tight plaited pattern that he recognised so well, felt the faint traces of Seidr that could only mean one thing.

‘Thank you, brother.’ He whispered, knowing that he would have to visit as soon as he had finished his shower.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys thought!!! :)


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